Topic: UK Teachers - PensionRead 57369 times

You don't have to pay if you negotiate with your employer that you're from the UK and don't want to pay into the pension system cos you can't get it out again. Like I said, one hakwon job said they don't pay pensions which I thought was rather odd but that's what the recruiter told me anyway. Most employers wouldn't not pay your pension as as you say, it's probably illegal, but who cares if they don't? Who's going to know?

It's hardly a pension anyway. I think 99,000 won per month or something like that. That's about 1m won a year or 1000 dollars. Probably about 900 quid UK. Even working here 10 years (and you can get your pension back after 10 years if you're from the UK), it will only be £9000. You can get 5000 quid a year on the dole doing nout.

You do have to pay pension. Employers have to pay their share too. It is not negotiable or optional. Full stop. The end.

If you don't then it will be discovered and you will be fined. You might not get caught, but if your employer is doing this then they are probably doing other things that are detrimental to you, such as not paying your tax, or not paying for health insurance. Not paying pension (and advertising it as a benefit) is a huge red flag, and should be a warning for anyone considering working there.

How can it be discovered? Do you think the pension office knows which teachers work where? I doubt it. Why is it a huge red flag if they don't pay your pension? There's companies in the UK who don't pay into the pension fund too. My boss has not paid my health insurance since I started working here cos I went to the Dr, the Dr called my health insurance and they told me I was not insured cos I had switched jobs nd my new employer hadn't (hasn't) paid my health insurance. I told my boss and he said that I should be automatically insured when I register my new job with immigration. That's what he said. I know he is just a BS-er though. I think he paid my pension but because he is a 1-stop-shop Korean Joe hakwon owner, I didn't get a payslip from him and he paid me in cash too. So I don't know what deductions he made. Luckily I should get paid tomorrow one full and final month before I go and I won't even say good bye after all the trouble he has caused me.

How can it be discovered? Do you think the pension office knows which teachers work where? I doubt it. Why is it a huge red flag if they don't pay your pension? There's companies in the UK who don't pay into the pension fund too. My boss has not paid my health insurance since I started working here cos I went to the Dr, the Dr called my health insurance and they told me I was not insured cos I had switched jobs nd my new employer hadn't (hasn't) paid my health insurance. I told my boss and he said that I should be automatically insured when I register my new job with immigration. That's what he said. I know he is just a BS-er though. I think he paid my pension but because he is a 1-stop-shop Korean Joe hakwon owner, I didn't get a payslip from him and he paid me in cash too. So I don't know what deductions he made. Luckily I should get paid tomorrow one full and final month before I go and I won't even say good bye after all the trouble he has caused me.

You are a member of a very visible, very small, set of people. Your presence is known and monitored by immigration. Your employer and working location is known by the Pension office. It doesn't take much to see that Mr. X in Busan is working at Happy English hagwon but hasn't made any contributions yet.

You are a fool for not checking your pension and tax details with the pension and tax offices; for not getting a payslip and checking that your pay and deductions are correct; and for not insisting or checking you are correctly enrolled with NHIC.

I am not a fool. I just work for a dumbass Korean who has not got much of a business left (40 odd students) and I don't really need to check my tax at the tax office or my pension because I can't get my pension back so what's the point checking if my pension is being paid? I bet it isn't! Don't care though as I am out of ROK very very soon. I don't even check with the tax office in the UK. I just see what they have deducted from my paycheque. There's no point asking this Korean hakwon owner for a payslip cos he will just make an excuse why you don't need one or something. He's got all the info on his computer I think cos he was doing my pay on his computer when I first got paid.

You may well be right that the pension office knows if so and so has paid his pension or not, but it depends if immigration tells them where you work and who you are.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow to be paid. I know he will pay late though. Last time he paid 2 or 3 days late in cash on the table. A REAL KOREAN JOE TO BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS AND WHICH WAS CONVEYED TO ME VIA KAKAO BEFORE I ACCEPTED THE JOB. IN two more weeks, everyone in American , Canada and the UK are gonn know who this Korean Joe, this shady Mafioso is.

I am not a fool. I just work for a dumbass Korean who has not got much of a business left (40 odd students) and I don't really need to check my tax at the tax office or my pension because I can't get my pension back so what's the point checking if my pension is being paid? I bet it isn't! Don't care though as I am out of ROK very very soon. I don't even check with the tax office in the UK. I just see what they have deducted from my paycheque. There's no point asking this Korean hakwon owner for a payslip cos he will just make an excuse why you don't need one or something. He's got all the info on his computer I think cos he was doing my pay on his computer when I first got paid.

You may well be right that the pension office knows if so and so has paid his pension or not, but it depends if immigration tells them where you work and who you are.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow to be paid. I know he will pay late though. Last time he paid 2 or 3 days late in cash on the table. A REAL KOREAN JOE TO BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS AND WHICH WAS CONVEYED TO ME VIA KAKAO BEFORE I ACCEPTED THE JOB. IN two more weeks, everyone in American , Canada and the UK are gonn know who this Korean Joe, this shady Mafioso is.

Hallelujah!!! I made ten years!!!My pension isn't pissed down the drain!!!Here's to my 300 000 won when I retire!!!

I have some friends who are adamant that in order to collect monthly pension payouts, one has to reside in Korea.Can anybody confirm or disprove this?

There was an english poster on here formerly known as "schwa", I think, who actually reached retirement age here. I seem to remember that he organized via a lawyer for his pension to be paid into his account while he went and lived elsewhere.

Anyone that is (actively) paying into a pension gets a yearly letter from them (normally posted to your work address) stating the number of months (total) that you've paid into it and your estimated pension amount if you continue to earn that salary until you reach 60.

If you do not get one of these a year it's either because you/your employer registered you at your old apartment address and you moved.

OR they posted to your company and they are too lazy/incompetent to give it to you.

Anyone that is (actively) paying into a pension gets a yearly letter from them (normally posted to your work address) stating the number of months (total) that you've paid into it and your estimated pension amount if you continue to earn that salary until you reach 60.

If you do not get one of these a year it's either because you/your employer registered you at your old apartment address and you moved.

OR they posted to your company and they are too lazy/incompetent to give it to you.

Orrrrrrrr - they are not paying into the pension scheme!

The pension office should get a change of address from Immigration or the -gu office when you change it. It can take a few months.

From what I understand, UK Citizens can, on reaching retirement age, claim back the lump sum of their contributions plus interest if they didn't pay in 10 years of contributions entitling them to a pension.

I have a few more years to go yet (either 2 or 5 depending on how they calculate it) but by then I will also be a Canadian and I suspect I will be able to count my 4 years in Korea towards the 10 years I need to qualify for a Canadian pension.

Watch this space ... for five years or so... I'll let you know what happens.

It's brought a tear to my eye to find I'm still registered on Waygook - it's been almost ten years since I left Korea. Loved it there, love teaching Koreans in Canada now too.

From what I understand, UK Citizens can, on reaching retirement age, claim back the lump sum of their contributions plus interest if they didn't pay in 10 years of contributions entitling them to a pension.

I have a few more years to go yet (either 2 or 5 depending on how they calculate it) but by then I will also be a Canadian and I suspect I will be able to count my 4 years in Korea towards the 10 years I need to qualify for a Canadian pension.

Watch this space ... for five years or so... I'll let you know what happens.

It's brought a tear to my eye to find I'm still registered on Waygook - it's been almost ten years since I left Korea. Loved it there, love teaching Koreans in Canada now too.

glad you're enjoying post-Korea life

that's the thing, it's just the unknown for most of us, added in with the flimsy nature of Korean information/law that changes from one NPS employee to the next. I'm on about 13 years pension contributions now which is about 850 000 won a month when I retire, but as that date is about 21 years away, I just never know what will happen between now and then.

please gladly, come back and give us an update in five years and we'll take it from there...

From what I understand, UK Citizens can, on reaching retirement age, claim back the lump sum of their contributions plus interest if they didn't pay in 10 years of contributions entitling them to a pension.

I have a few more years to go yet (either 2 or 5 depending on how they calculate it) but by then I will also be a Canadian and I suspect I will be able to count my 4 years in Korea towards the 10 years I need to qualify for a Canadian pension.

Watch this space ... for five years or so... I'll let you know what happens.

It's brought a tear to my eye to find I'm still registered on Waygook - it's been almost ten years since I left Korea. Loved it there, love teaching Koreans in Canada now too.

glad you're enjoying post-Korea life

that's the thing, it's just the unknown for most of us, added in with the flimsy nature of Korean information/law that changes from one NPS employee to the next. I'm on about 13 years pension contributions now which is about 850 000 won a month when I retire, but as that date is about 21 years away, I just never know what will happen between now and then.

please gladly, come back and give us an update in five years and we'll take it from there...

You'll get 850 000 a month at retirement age if you carry on working here and paying into the pension until you're 60. If you leave in the next few years you are likely to get less than half that.

You'll get 850 000 a month at retirement age if you carry on working here and paying into the pension until you're 60. If you leave in the next few years you are likely to get less than half that.

Yep, of course it works like this, was having a bit of a maths brain meltdown on Friday as I thought I'm paying 130 000 a month but only getting this paltry amount back, not realising I was missing a zero. As this is my last year, I wonder whether I would, if possible, continue making voluntary contributions to make sure I get this or whether it's worth it? If I go and work in a European country for 20 years, then I'd qualify there too. In short, no idea.

Still pretty sure, from the info on the pensions website, that I could get a lump sum refund after my retiring age.